U.S. patent number 3,932,956 [Application Number 05/539,370] was granted by the patent office on 1976-01-20 for toy vehicle clutch.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Ideal Toy Corporation. Invention is credited to Edmund Young.
United States Patent |
3,932,956 |
Young |
January 20, 1976 |
Toy vehicle clutch
Abstract
In a toy vehicle having a plurality of ground engageable wheels
and drive means having a drive shaft operatively engaged with at
least one of the wheels, a clutch is provided in the driven wheel
in order to protect the drive means against damage should the wheel
be stopped while the drive means is in operation. The clutch
comprises a first clutch element secured to the drive means for
rotation therewith and a second clutch element having an inner
surface peripherally surrounding the first clutch element. One of
the clutch elements has a plurality of radially extending teeth
formed thereon and the other of the clutch elements has at least
one detent dimensioned to fit between two adjacent teeth in order
to provide the driving connection for transmitting power from the
motor to the second clutch element in order to drive the wheel.
Should the wheel be stopped while the drive motor is in operation,
the teeth flex over the detent in order to permit relative rotation
between the clutch elements, allowing the motor and drive elements
to rotate even while the drive wheel is stopped.
Inventors: |
Young; Edmund (West,
HK) |
Assignee: |
Ideal Toy Corporation (Hollis,
NY)
|
Family
ID: |
24150941 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/539,370 |
Filed: |
January 8, 1975 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
446/463;
464/37 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63H
29/00 (20130101); F16D 7/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63H
29/00 (20060101); F16D 7/00 (20060101); A63H
029/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;46/202,206
;64/28R,29,3D |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Mancene; Louis G.
Assistant Examiner: Cutting; Robert F.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Rabkin, Esq.; Richard M.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In a toy vehicle having a plurality of ground engageable wheels
and drive means having a drive shaft operatively engaged with at
least one of said wheels for driving the vehicle; a clutch formed
in said at least one drive wheel for protecting said drive means;
said clutch comprising a first clutch element fixed to the drive
shaft for rotation therewith and a second clutch element freely
rotatably mounted on said drive shaft; said second clutch element
having a cavity formed therein which receives and peripherally
surrounds said first clutch element; one of said first and second
clutch elements having a plurality of radially extending gear-type
teeth formed thereon and the other of said clutch elements having
at least one enlarged detent formed thereon and dimensioned to fit
between two adjacent gear teeth to provide a driving connection
therebetween for transmitting power from the motor to the second
clutch element to drive the wheel; said gear teeth being formed of
a material having a predetermined flexibility relative to said
detent whereby the teeth will flex over the detent so the clutch
elements can rotate with respect to one another when the driven
wheel is stopped while the drive means is in operation.
2. In a toy vehicle as defined in claim 1 wherein said second
clutch element comprises a cap having an inner annular surface
defining said recess, said detent being formed on said inner
annular surface.
3. In a toy vehicle as defined in claim 2 wherein said first clutch
element comprises a circular gear having said gear-type teeth
extending radially outwardly therefrom towards said inner annular
surface of the second clutch element.
4. In a toy vehicle as defined in claim 3 wherein said shaft has a
generally polygonal configuration and said gear has a complementary
opening therein receiving said shaft in a tight fit for rotation
with the shaft.
5. In a toy vehicle as defined in claim 3 wherein said inner
annular surface has two diametrically opposed detents formed
thereon.
6. In a toy vehicle as defined in claim 3 wherein said cap forms a
part of the wheel and has a base located adjacent one side of said
gear; and a second cap secured to said first mentioned cap adjacent
the open end of the recess and on the other side of said gear; said
second cap having an opening therein through which said drive shaft
extends, whereby said gear is fully enclosed by said caps.
7. A drive wheel clutch for a toy vehicle having drive means
connected to the drive wheel, said clutch comprising a first clutch
element secured to the drive means for rotation thereby; and a
second clutch element having an inner surface peripherally
surrounding the first clutch element; one of said clutch elements
having a plurality of radially extending teeth formed thereon and
being formed from a flexible material; the other of said clutch
elements having at least one detent formed thereon dimensioned to
fit between two adjacent gear teeth to provide a driving connection
therebetween for transmitting power from the motor to the second
clutch element to drive the wheel.
8. A clutch as defined in claim 7 wherein said gear teeth are
formed of a material having a predetermined flexibility relative to
said detent whereby the teeth will flex over the detent so the
clutch elements will rotate with respect to one another when the
wheel is stopped, regardless of the drive direction of the drive
means.
9. A clutch as defined in claim 7 wherein said detent is formed on
said inner surface of the second clutch element and said teeth are
formed on the first clutch element.
10. A clutch as defined in claim 8 wherein the inner surface of the
second clutch element is annular and said first clutch element is a
generally circular gear having said teeth formed therein; said
theeth extending radially outwardly towards said inner annular
surface.
11. A clutch as defined in claim 10 wherein said inner surface has
two diametrically opposed detents formed thereon.
12. A clutch as defined in claim 10 wherein said second clutch
element comprises a first cap having a base and an annular wall
extending therefrom defining said inner surface and a recess
receiving said first clutch element, said base of the second clutch
element extending parallel to and on one side of the first clutch
element; and a second cap secured to the annular wall of the first
cap to cover the recess on the opposite side of said first clutch
element, thereby to completely enclose said gear and form said
wheel; said drive means including a shaft secured to said first
clutch element and extending through said second cap, whereby said
caps are rotatably mounted on the shaft and driven thereby through
the engagement of said teeth and detent.
Description
The present invention relates to toy vehicles, and more
particularly to a clutch mechanism for a powered toy vehicle, which
clutch is adapted to protect the motor and drive train of the
vehicle from damage.
Numerous types of toy vehicles are presently available in which a
drive mechanism is provided in order that the vehicles be
self-propelled. Many of such vehicles include flywheel motors in
which a flywheel or inertia element is rotated at a relatively high
speed in order to produce the driving power for the vehicle. One
such flywheel arrangement, using a relatively high gear reduction
ratio whereby the relatively heavy flywheel rotates at extremely
high speeds, is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No.
442,490 filed Feb. 14, 1974.
In toy vehicles driven by a flywheel motor or other type of drive
mechanisms, damage to the motor or gears in the drive arrangement
can occur if the child playing with the toy rapidly stops rotation
of the drive wheel when the motor is operating at high speed. This
can occur, for example, in a flywheel driven apparatus when, after
the vehicle's flywheel has been energized to a high rotational
velocity, the child places the vehicle forcefully on a play surface
so that the driven wheels, in effect, are stopped from rotating.
However, since the flywheel continues to rotate due to its inertia,
it is possible that the gears of the drive train connecting the
flywheel to the drive wheel could be stripped.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a
toy vehicle having a clutch arrangement which is adapted to protect
the drive train of the vehicle.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a clutch
mechanism for a toy vehicle which will protect the drive of the
vehicle during operation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a toy vehicle
having a flywheel type inertia motor with a clutch arrangement that
will protect the flywheel motor and gear train when the driven
wheels of the vehicle are stopped.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a toy
vehicle which is durable in construction and economical in
manufacture.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention a toy vehicle
is provided which has a plurality of ground engageable wheels and a
flywheel type motor that is operative to drive a shaft connected
with at least one of the vehicle's wheels in order to propel the
vehicle along a play surface. A clutch is formed in the drive wheel
in order to protect the gear train of the drive mechanism. This
clutch comprises a first clutch element which is fixed to the drive
shaft for rotation therewith and a clutch element that is freely
rotatable mounted on the drive shaft and forms part of the drive
wheel. The second clutch element has a cavity formed therein which
receives and peripherally surrounds the first clutch element. One
of the two clutch elements has a plurality of radially extending
gear type teeth formed thereon, while the other of the clutch
elements has a projection or detent formed thereon which is
dimensioned to fit between two adjacent gear teeth, thereby to
provide the driving connection between the clutch elements for
transmitting power from the motor to the second clutch element and
the drive wheel. The gear teeth used in the clutch are formed of a
material having aa predetermined flexibility relative to the
detent, so that the teeth will flex over the detent to allow the
clutch elements to rotate with respect to one another when the
driven wheel is stopped while the drive means is in operation in
either direction of rotation. In this manner, should the drive
wheel be stopped while the motor is in operation, the gear train in
the vehicle will be protected.
The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the
invention will become apparent in the following detailed
description of an illustrative embodiment thereof, which is to be
read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view, with parts broken away, of a toy
vehicle constructed in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2.
As seen in FIG. 1, a toy vehicle 10, constructed in accordance with
the present invention, includes a body 12 and a plurality of ground
engageable wheels 14 rotatably mounted thereon. A flywheel motor 16
is mounted in the vehicle body 12, in any convenient manner. As
mentioned, this motor may be of the type described in U.S. Pat.
application Ser. No. 442,490 filed Feb. 14, 1974, and includes a
relatively heavy flywheel 18 connected through a gear reducing
train 20, to an output shaft 22. The latter may extend entirely
across the body 12, so as to supply motive power to both of the
rear wheels (only one of which is seen in FIG. 1).
In operation vehicle 10 is held by the child and the rear wheels
are rolled along the play surface or floor, in order to transmit
rotary energy through the gear train 20 to the flywheel 18. After
the vehicle has been rapidly moved on the floor a series of times,
and the flywheel 18 is rotated to the desired speed, the child
simply places the vehicle on the floor and the flywheel 18, which
now has kinetic energy stored therein, will transmit that energy
back through the gear train to the rear drive wheels 14 in order to
propel the vehicle. Of course, the direction of propulsion of the
vehicle depends upon the direction in which the vehicle has been
moved by the child in energizing the flywheel.
With this arrangement, it may occur that when the child finally
energizes the flywheel to the desired speed and places it on the
floor or play surface, he may hold the vehicle down with sufficient
force so that the rotation of the rear drive wheels 14 is stopped.
Should this occur, the shaft 22 and the gears connected thereto are
also stopped and held against rotation. However, the flywheel 18 is
continuously rotating so that the gears, e.g. gears 24 and 26, will
jam against each other, creating the possibility that the gear
teeth thereon will break.
In order to avoid this possibility and to protect the entire
flywheel motor against damage, the rear drive wheels 14 of the
vehicle 10 are each provided with a clutch arrangement 25,
constructed in accordance with the present invention, which forms
an integral part of each of the rear drive wheels. More
specifically, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, each drive wheel 14
includes an outer cap or section 26 which is formed generally as a
cup shaped element having a peripheral annular wall 28 and a base
30. The opposite side of the wheel 14 is provided by a second cap
element 32 that is sonically welded to the free end 34 of annular
wall 28, at the point of engagement therebetween 36 (see FIG. 3).
These caps preferably are formed of a hard plastic material such as
ABS. The caps 26 and 32 form substantially the entire wheel, with
the cap 26 having an outer annular surface portion 38 that is
recessed with respect to the edges 40 and 42 of the caps 26 and 32.
An elastic endless band 44 can be placed in this annular recess or
groove to provide the ground engaging surface for the wheel 14.
The base or cap 32 has a centrally located opening 44 therein
through which the shaft 22 of the motor 16 extends. The free end 46
of shaft 22 (each end of the shaft 22 is of identical construction
so that only one end is illustrated in the drawings) has a
generally rectangular or polyganol configuration (see FIG. 2). The
rectangular configuration of the shaft allows the shaft to be
rigidly connected to one of the clutch elements 48 in the clutch
assembly 25.
The clutch element 48 includes a bushing 50 having a generally
rectangular opening 52 formed therein which frictionally engages
the end 46 of the shaft for rotation therewith. A sleeve 54
surrounds the end portion 56 of bushing 50, as seen in FIG. 3, to
define an annular channel or recess 58 about the periphery of the
sleeve 50. An annular gear 60 is mounted in this recess (see FIG.
2) and is held in place against the shoulder portion 62 of the
bushing 50 by the sleeve 54. If desired all of these elements may
be sonically welded together to form an integral one piece clutch
element. Alternatively, the entire assembly of the clutch element
48 can be formed as a one piece member. However, it is contemplated
that if the various elements 50, 54 and 60 are formed with close
tolerances, the friction fit therebetween will be sufficient to
maintain the elements in tight assembly. Similarly, the rectangular
opening 52 in the bushing 50 is sufficient to provide the desired
fit for the clutch element to the end of the shaft 22 and form the
driving connection therebetween. However, if the shaft is formed of
a plastic material these elements can also be sonically welded
together. Alternatively, any suitable adhesive or locking
arrangement between the end of the shaft and the clutch element 48
can be used.
The gear 60 has a plurality of radially extending teeth 64 formed
thereon about its entire periphery. These teeth extend outwardly,
towards the inner surface 66 of the annular wall 28 of cap 26. This
surface 66 has a pair of diametrically opposed detents 68 formed
thereon which are dimensioned to be received in the spaces between
the teeth 64 of the gear 60. Under normal operating conditions, the
arrangement of the detents 68 between the teeth 64 provides a
driving connection between the clutch element 48 and the cap 26;
the latter thus forms the second clutch element of the clutch
assembly. Accordingly, rotation of the shaft 22 will cause clutch
element 48 to rotate, and the engagement of the detent 68 between
the teeth 64 will in turn cause the cap 26 and thus the drive wheel
to rotate.
In accordance with a feature of the present invention the gear 60
is formed of a material which has a predetermined flexibility with
respect to the detent 60. For example, the gear 60 can be formed of
a polyurethane material, while the cap 26 and integral detent 68
can be formed of a somewhat harder ABS plastic. By this
arrangement, should the drive wheel 14 of the vehicle be stopped
while the flywheel motor 18 is still in operation, the drive to the
shaft 22 will cause the gear 60 to rotate with respect to the
stopped cap 26. The flexible teeth 64 will then snap over the
detents 68, so that the clutch elements will rotate with respect to
one another. In this manner, the gears in the gear train of the
flywheel motor can continue to rotate so that they are not broken
by stoppage of the drive wheels. The flexible material of which the
gear or clutch element 60 is formed, will allow the shaft 22 to
continue to rotate until the energy of the flywheel 18 has been
dissipated. On the other hand, when the rear wheels 14 of the
vehicle are not held against rotation, the material of which the
gear 60 is formed is sufficiently stiff or rigid to provide the
driving connection between the gear 60 and the cap 26 necessary to
drive the vehicle wheel 14.
It is noted that the opening 44 in cap 32 has a larger diameter
than sleeve 54 so that the cap does not engage or interfere with
clutch element 48. In this manner, the wheel assembly, which
consists of the caps 26, 32, is rotatably mounted on the shaft. In
addition, the configuration of the caps is such that they fully
enclose the gear 60 and the wheel assembly cannot be pulled off of
the shaft. If desired, the cap 26 can have an opening 67 formed
therein through which the end 69 of the bushing extends to form a
simulated hub cap.
Although an illustrative embodiment of the invention has been shown
with the gear element 60 as the inner clutch element and the
detents 68 formed on the outer clutch element, it will be
appreciated that the outer clutch element 26 can have the gear
teeth 64 formed thereon and extending radially inwardly towards the
shaft 22, with the detents 68 being formed on the inner clutch
element 60.
Accordingly, it will be appreciated that a relatively simple clutch
mechanism is provided which is adapted to protect the drive motor
of the vehicle. This motor may consist of a flywheel motor of the
illustrated type, or of other types, such as for example an
electric battery operated, motor driving the rear wheels 14 through
a gear train which also must be protected.
Although an illustrative embodiment of the present invention has
been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing,
it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to that
precise embodiment, and that various changes and modifications may
be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing
from the scope or spirit of this invention.
* * * * *